Out-of-state park fee hike pushed for Wallum Lake

DOUGLAS — Carlos Soto relaxed under the shade of trees at a picnic table at Wallum Lake this week, watching his grandchildren as they swam nearby.

The Providence man and his family make the trip from the neighboring Ocean State a few times each summer.

If they had to pay more than the current $10 entry fee, they might reconsider and look for somewhere else to cool off, Mr. Soto said.

He understands that the Wallum Lake Recreation Area is part of the Massachusetts state park system, but doesn't think out-of-state visitors should be charged a higher entry fee than in-state residents. This year, in-state visitors pay $5 for the day.

"I think it should be an equal price to any vehicle, no matter where you're coming from," Mr. Soto said

Whether out-of-state visitors should pay more than they already do to enter Douglas State Park is one of a number of suggestions made this week by town officials, who say they are frustrated with large crowds, illegal parking on town roads and disturbance complaints associated with the state park.

Selectmen said they would request a meeting with state officials to discuss the park management. One of the issues they cited during Tuesday's selectmen's meeting is the park's practice of allowing the gates to reopen at 4 p.m. if it reaches capacity before noon. The policy has led to scores of shut-out visitors parking illegally along the town roads, waiting for the reopening, according to Police Chief Patrick T. Foley.

On most weekends, he said, he has only two officers available for the entire town, and they often have to be directed to park-related problems. Chief Foley has said that up to 60 percent of the park's visitors are from out of state.

State officials did not attend the selectmen's meeting. In a prepared statement, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said Thursday the agency is committed to working with the town to resolve their concerns. The park has more than 4,500 people visiting each week this summer, said department spokesman Bill Hickey, and is among the state's most popular parks.

"Whenever you have a popular park, it presents certain management challenges," he wrote.

It is not unusual for a state park to reach capacity early in the day, he said in a phone interview, and then be reopened at a set time in the afternoon. Hopkinton State Park and Walden Pond state recreation area in Concord, which both have beaches, have followed similar reopening practices.

The decision is at the manager's discretion, Mr. Hickey said. To not reopen at all, if a park reaches capacity early in the day, would prevent people from accessing a state resource, he said.

At Walden Pond, for example, it is not unusual for the park to reach capacity by mid-morning. Many parks are open until 8 p.m., including Wallum Lake Recreation Area.

State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, who represents Douglas, said he spoke to one of the town's selectmen this week, but had not been advised about a meeting on the park.

Still, the issue has been a subject of discussion among state and local officials for several recent years, he said.

As a result, the state increased the price for entrance for non-state residents from $8 to $10 this year, and the hour for reopening the park was pushed back from 3 p.m. last year, to 4 p.m. this year.

An immediate help to local police in managing the illegal parking, Mr. Moore said, should be $22,500 for police overtime contained in a bill signed Friday by Gov. Deval Patrick. Of the fee for park entry, Mr. Moore said he thought it should be higher for out-of-state visitors. This money would be retained by the state agency and could be used for additional personnel for the park. Mr. Moore said he is not opposed to having the park shut for the day, once it reaches capacity, but in the past, the state DCR has opposed that.

"Their argument is it's their mission to serve as many people as they can," he said. "They've been philosophically opposed to closing it for the day."

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